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"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is one of the best things to happen to "Star Wars" since George Lucas tapped Irvin Kershner to direct "The Empire Strikes Back" and Lawrence Kasdan to write it. Coming off the success of the still visually stunning "Clone Wars" micro-series by maestro Genndy Tartakovsky, "The Clone Wars" took all the good ideas and concepts Lucas introduced in the prequel trilogy — yes, there are some great ideas here, even in "Attack of the Clones" — and gave them enough time to properly breathe and develop over time.

The result remains some of the best storytelling in all of "Star Wars." It's a show that gave us one of the best characters in "Star Wars" in the form of Ahsoka Tano, turned the faceless clone army into a group of dozens of fleshed-out and complex characters, and even expanded upon the politics of the Separatists and the titular conflict,...

The Best Picture nominees for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced, and it’s (mostly) a solid list of movies contending for the top honor. From adaptations of beloved stage musicals and sci-fi novels to biographies and wholly original body horror, it’s an extremely varied list of films.

No matter your tastes, there’s something for everybody here. But if you’re like us and you intend to watch all of the nominees, FandomWire film critic Alan French and I have made it a little easier to prioritize here with a ranking of all 10 films.

Related The 100 Greatest Movies of All-Time All 10 Best Picture Nominees (2025) Ranked 10. Wicked Ariana Grande (left) and Cynthia Erivo (right) in Wicked: All 10 Best Picture Nominees Ranked

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Adapted from the popular stage musical, which itself was adapted from the 1995 novel, Wicked defied the odds and proved that movie...

George Lucas launched the Star Wars franchise with the 1977 space opera film that was later expanded into a trilogy of movies. The franchise’s second installment The Empire Strikes Back remains beloved because of its comparatively darker themes and subject material. It leaves its characters with devastating losses and delivers a twist that changes the trajectory of Luke Skywalker’s arc.

The Empire Strikes Back features a dark Star Wars motif (Credit: Lucasfilm).

During an interview, Lucas discussed the film’s darker themes, particularly one motif connected to Luke’s character. While the filmmaker was worried the motif would be too dark, he still went ahead with it. Here is the symbolism Lucas intended with the scene where Luke loses his arm and why the iconic Star Wars moment was a cause of concern.

George Lucas reflected on the darkest Star Wars motif that had him concerned

George Lucas introduced viewers to the galaxy far,...

Why do we like Gerard Butler? As of the publishing of this piece, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is performing as expected, looking to become yet another reliable, mid-budgeted programmer hit for the movie star. It’ll round out nicely in theaters, then do well with VOD and home sales. This kind of success is exceedingly rare these days; even Liam Neeson actioners underperform after years of semi-reliability. So: what is it about Butler?

There is a scene somewhere in the middle of Pantera in which “Big Nick” O’Brien (Butler) and Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson) are sitting outside a bar in the south of France, sipping beers on the come down from a night of hard-partying. Los Angeles cop Big Nick has both “gone gangster” and gone international, turning to a life of crime and following Donnie into a heist-laden world of intrigue. The two frenemies proceed to...

In 1977, Star Wars blasted into theaters like a rebel ship. Lightsabers flashed, space battles roared, and Darth Vader wheezed his way into fame. That galaxy far, far away? It became the biggest thing right here on Earth.

Darth Vader in Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (Credits: 20th Century Home Entertainment)

Almost five decades later, Star Wars is a full-blown empire. Twelve movies, nine shows, theme parks, games, toys—it’s everywhere. But let’s focus on the heart of it all: the live-action movies. Over 40+ years, they’ve raked in over $10 billion at the box office worldwide.

Want to know which movies ruled the box office and which ones got sidelined? Let’s break it all down, movie by movie, using Box Office Mojo’s numbers.

1. Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Credits: 20th Century Home Entertainment)

This is where it all began.

Coming in hot with the hot takes! Controversy ahead!

The commonly accepted wisdom among "Star Wars" fans is that Irvin Kershner's 1980 film "Star Wars: Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back" is the best film in the "Star Wars" canon. Many appreciate its relatively dour tone and po-faced sense of panic. "Empire" carried over the characters from "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope" and took them more seriously. In George Lucas' original 1977 film, the characters played out as broad archetypes. In "Empire," they were depicted as depressed, struggling, injured, panicked, or standing on the cusp of wisdom. They became deeper and more human.

Also, "Empire" expanded the role of fan-favorite character Darth Vader from a threatening lieutenant into the right-hand man of the Emperor (who was played by Elaine Baker and voiced by Clive Revill in the original version of "Empire" before Ian McDiarmid replaced them both...

"Star Wars" is full of fascinating, enigmatic villains, most of them get barely any dialogue, let alone their background or backstory explained — in the movies at least. Whether it's Darth Vader being introduced as just a tall, menacing guy clad in dark, robotic armor, or Boba Fett's silent, striking suit of armor, these antagonists work because of how little we know of them, and how memorable their designs are.

This is especially true in the prequel trilogy, where we get characters like Darth Maul, who is just evil incarnate, a perfect design. Though perhaps not as well-liked, General Grievous' own character design is just as effective. He's a villain who's instantly memorable and striking, his cybernetic exterior and biological organs making him rather mysterious and alluring.

Grievous, like most things "Star Wars," went through many changes before making his debut, with George Lucas even briefly considering making the character Darth Maul in disguise.

The reason why Back to the Future Part II is so dark is because one of the original Back to the Future cast members refused to reprise his role in the sequel. Back to the Future Part II follows on from the cliffhanger ending of the first Back to the Future, as Doc Brown takes Marty McFly into the future to prevent his son from making a huge mistake. The plot takes a grim turn when Doc and Marty return to a dystopian alternate version of the present.

This dark turn fit in with a trend of sequels going darker than their predecessor. The trend originated with The Empire Strikes Back and could later be seen in movies like The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. With that said, the Back to the Future sequel wouldn’t have been so dark if one of the main...

Editor’s note: All figures below are adjusted unless otherwise noted.

David Lynch, who died this week at the age of 78, was the kind of visionary artist whose value has little to do with its commercial success at the time. Still, a review of the U.S./Canada box office for his 10 feature film releases shows most attracted interest from devotees, with his two first studio films by far getting the most theatrical response.

Adjusting their reported domestic box office to about $11/ticket (current average), his second and third films — “The Elephant Man” (1980) and “Dune” (1984) — stand out above all others. “Elephant Man” stands at about $106 million, “Dune” at $103 million. (These and all subsequent dollar amounts are stated at 2025 values; see the full Lynch feature film ranking at the bottom of this story.)

His most profitable film, in terms of return on investment at least, was “Eraserhead” (1977), his first. Released primarily as a midnight film,...

Harrison Ford is one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, but the financiers on Blade Runner clearly weren’t paying attention because they had the unmitigated gall to question Ridley Scott’s choice to cast him in the leading role. Can you imagine questioning Harrison Ford? Or Ridley Scott, for that matter?

“Harrison Ford was not a star,” Scott told GQ. “He had just finished flying the Millennium Falcon in ‘Star Wars.’ I remember my financiers saying, ‘Who the f*** is Harrison Ford?’ And I said, ‘You’re going to find out.’ So Harry became my leading man.” Ford had just finished shooting Raiders of the Lost Ark at the time, and Steven Speilberg gave Scott the thumbs up when the director asked if he should hire the actor for Blade Runner.

I feel like those Blade Runner financiers hadn’t been going to the movies. Sure, Ford was at the beginning of his career,...

It's safe to assume that most of us know the name "Star Wars," whether through first-hand viewing experience or cultural osmosis. However, there has always been a distinct and set storyline in play since George Lucas first put pen to paper.

Whether you take your galaxy far, far away with or without the Disney sequels, the original trilogy and the prequels have their cinematic value. While by no means a 100% perfect story, it's been the space opera gold standard for decades. However, fans might want to consider the "Machete Order."

Rethink how you watch Star Wars

On a personal note, I am one of those rare fans who will watch almost anything under the Star Wars banner and still find something to enjoy about it. Whether it's the divisive prequels or the semi-maligned Disney trilogy, I will watch it all. However, the Machete Order was a new concept that's simple,...

With the modern explosion of content on Disney+, it's easy to forget that there have been Star Wars TV shows since 1985. George Lucas always knew he was building something far bigger than a film franchise. The first Star Wars tie-in novel, Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was published in 1978 - before the release of The Empire Strikes Back. When Lucas wrapped up the original trilogy with 1983's Return of the Jedi, his attention initially turned to the small screen, where he continued to license stories set in a galaxy far, far away.

Disney has evolved Star Wars into a trailblazing transmedia franchise; the films have essentially been on hiatus since the end of the sequel trilogy, but the saga continues in high-profile Disney+ TV shows. These have had an unprecedented cultural impact, ensuring Star Wars remains a vital part of popular culture. But how do all...

Skeleton Crew is a show about four kids trying to get home through unanticipated perils and deadly adventures, leaving a positive mark on audiences. It's represented disability in thought-provoking ways. It shows how kids and parents can learn from each other and make amends and how the galaxy needs Neel-level amounts of kindness. But while those are good themes for kids to explore in media and in real life, is this age-appropriate for kids?

How old should kids be to watch Skeleton Crew?

In my extended family, I am the cool aunt who can talk with one nephew about Darth Vader and a niece about Lord Voldemort while making sure another has a Brandon Sanderson book to enjoy. I take my assignment to help my siblings' kids grow up with pop culture seriously, and that includes paying attention to age-appropriate material. I get them into Star Wars when they're old...

Darth Vader is arguably one of the most memorable characters created by George Lucas for his epic space opera franchise Star Wars. While the character was introduced as a villain, the second installment, The Empire Strikes Back revealed an important twist about Vader that remains one of the biggest reveals in Lucas’ grand plan for the original trilogy.

David Prowse played Darth Vader in Star Wars (Credit: Lucasfilm).

According to reports, actor David Prowse who physically portrayed Vader in the movies ended up allegedly leaking the plot details during a fan interaction. Prowse’s reveal is arguably the greatest instance of an actor leaking spoilers, trumping the likes of Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo. Here is what you need to know about Prowse reportedly spoiling a major Darth Vader twist.

Darth Vader actor David Prowse allegedly spoiled major Star Wars twist

Actor David Prowse was responsible for portraying the menacing...

Mark Hamill, the legendary Luke Skywalker, opened up about a scene from The Force Awakens that has sparked a lot of fan debate. Known for his sharp humor and deep connection to the Star Wars universe, he didn’t hold back when expressing his thoughts on Rey’s sudden mastery of the Force.

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Credits: Lucasfilm

This particular moment has left many fans puzzled over the years, and Hamill’s take provides a fresh, witty perspective on what many consider a questionable part of the film. His comments are sure to resonate with fans who’ve long questioned the scene.

Why does Mark Hamill think Rey’s training in The Force Awakens doesn’t make sense?

Mark Hamill, the iconic actor who brought Luke Skywalker to life, has been very open about his thoughts on The Force Awakens. Not only that but he...

These 10 Star Wars characters shockingly have less than 15 minutes of screen time each, and they definitely deserved so much more. Plenty of Star Wars' best characters have much less screen time than one might think, especially when compared to other, seemingly less prominent characters. In fact, characters like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa bewilderingly don't even make it into the top 10 of Star Wars characters with the most screen time.

In part, this is due to the nature of Star Wars' movies and TV shows. Characters like Ahsoka Tano and Ezra Bridger top the charts because they have appeared in so many episodes of Star Wars' shows. For characters who have only ever (or at least primarily) been in the movies, it's difficult to compete with that much screen time. These 10 characters represent a mix of Star Wars shows and movies, yet they each have less than 15 minutes of total...

The Empire Strikes Back is often regarded as the best Star Wars movie, but its placement in the Star Wars timeline has created continuity problems. This isn't enough to stop The Empire Strikes Back from being my favorite among the Star Wars movies, as it still has perfect structure, masterful direction, and a compelling story that expanded the foundation laid by A New Hope. Even so, there's always been one aspect of The Empire Strikes Back that bugs me.

In the original Star Wars Expanded Universe (now known as "Legends") and the current Disney canon, The Empire Strikes Back is set three years after A New Hope. While this may not seem like a problem, since The Empire Strikes Back was released three years after A New Hope, it doesn't make sense when analyzing the movie. The stories set during the time gap worsen the problem, and a simple change...

45 years after The Empire Strikes Back, the movie still holds a shocking Star Wars record. The Empire Strikes Back is largely considered one of Star Wars' best movies, if not the single best movie in the entire franchise. Even outside what the movie meant to the Star Wars galaxy itself in terms of its plot points and brand-new characters and concepts, The Empire Strikes Back changed Hollywood forever.

In light of that significance, it's perhaps unsurprising that The Empire Strikes Back holds certain records in the Star Wars franchise. After all, this was the movie in which Yoda was introduced, and it featured the franchise's most famous plot twist (and one of the most well-known plot twists in cinema history), that Darth Vader was really Luke Skywalker's father. This particular 45-year record for The Empire Strikes Back is nevertheless truly surprising.

The Empire Strikes Back's Planets Have Yet...

Is Steven Soderbergh preparing to join the “Star Wars” universe? Or is he just a huge fan of George Lucas and Tony Gilroy?

The filmmaker behind classics like “Ocean’s 11” and “Traffic,” as well as the upcoming supernatural horror “Presence,” released his 2024 watch list last week, as he has done for many years now, sharing it via his “Soderblog” under “Seen, Read 2024.” Included on the list are a range of films, television shows, and shorts, as well as novels, short stories, and plays, but of particular note are his multiple viewings of “Star Wars” films across the year, seemingly sparked by his watching the Disney+ “Rogue One” spin-off series “Andor” from Tony Gilroy. Soderbergh and Gilroy are longtime friends and collaborators, the former having helped finance the latter’s “Michael Clayton.” They also did a commentary track together for Carol Reed’s “The Third Man” that’s really worth a listen.

Star Wars has always pulled from various cultures, one of which is Africa's rich history and culture. Some of that has been displayed in the Star Wars franchise. One example is the dialect spoken by the character of Nien Nunb.

Lando's copilot at the Battle of Endor and resistance starfighter in the sequel trilogy speaks a language rooted in Africa. The character speaks Kalenjin and Kiuyu languages, both from the country of Kenya.

In 1983, when Return of the Jedi was seen in theaters, as Nien Nunb spoke, audiences from that country went crazy as they were able to understand what the character was communicating to Lando. "Atirizi inyui mwi hau inyouthe ukai haha," was a line spoken by the character.

Translated it says, "What are you doing over there? All of you, please come here.'' The Kiuyu language is spoken in the Kenyan cities of Nyeri, Nairobi and Nakuru.

The Star Wars franchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the past year. Its struggles are not specific to the most recent 365 days: Like all franchises, there have been highs and lows throughout its entire existence (from the highs of The Empire Strikes Back to the underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018), but 2024 wasn't particularly the kindest year to the Star Wars saga.

New series The Acolyte launched to impressive viewing figures and offered up something entirely different to the decades-old lore, presenting itself as something of a murder mystery in the classic shared universe. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after just one season due to its huge budget, which would have been virtually impossible for it to overcome regardless of viewing figures.

With rumors of upcoming Star Wars films suffering delays to the apparent premature end of another beloved TV series, 2024 was a rough...

George Lucas created the epic space opera franchise Star Wars, which takes place in a galaxy far, far away. As a result, the franchise is populated with several unique and interesting characters with their own traits. One of the most popular characters in the franchise is Master Yoda, who first appeared in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back.

Yoda is one of the most popular Star Wars characters (Credit: Lucasfilm).

Over the years, Yoda has remained a beloved and revered figure among the fanbase with several aspects of his backstory still shrouded in mystery. The aspect of Yoda’s characterization that made him an instant hit, especially with children is his unique speech pattern which makes it seem like he is talking backwards. Here is why Lucas made this choice with Yoda’s speech pattern and why it works.

George Lucas had a practical reason for Yoda’s speech pattern in...

Darth Vader is one of the most powerful Force users in all of Star Wars history, but he’s never been more powerful than he was during Star Wars’ ‘Yellow Lightsaber Era’. This era (which is marked by the yellow lightsaber Luke Skywaker uses throughout) is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, bridging the gap between the two final films in the original trilogy. And within that period of time, Darth Vader unlocked his maximum power, resulting in him becoming a living superweapon in the Star Wars comics published in 2024.

Darth Vader’s ‘Yellow Lightsaber Era’ storyline officially came to an end in 2024’s Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Paul Fry, Luke Ross, and Adam Gorham. This issue was the series’ grand finale, and it acted as the culmination of every trace of unparalleled power Darth Vader had amassed up until...

Star Wars has had many brilliant retcons over the years, from the clones' inhibitor chips in Star Wars: The Clone Wars to the iconic twist that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father in The Empire Strikes Back, but I'd love to see the franchise retcon these 10 plotlines as well. Star Wars movies and TV shows are known for their retcons, for better or worse. While certain choices, such as the resurrection of Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, are considered some of Star Wars' worst retcons, often these changes address issues in the franchise in ingenious ways.

In fact, some of Star Wars' best characters have come from retcons, such as Ahsoka Tano, who was revealed to be Anakin Skywalker's Padawan in The Clone Wars, after the prequels gave no indication he ever had one. There are still plenty of gaps, mysteries, and unexplained plot points throughout the Star Wars timeline,...

The Star Wars universe has kept us engaged for decades with its rich lore, iconic characters, and countless unforgettable moments. Han Solo is one of the most celebrated figures in the franchise, as the character embodies the charm and a rebellious spirit that we’ve all come to love. Harrison Ford has almost become inseparable from Solo, and for years, one could only picture him as the captain of the Millennium Falcon.

Harrison Ford | Jimmy Kimmel Live / YouTube

So the announcement of Solo: A Star Wars Story having a younger actor to portray Han Solo was a bit concerning to many. Alden Ehrenreich was chosen to portray the smuggler in his early years. You might know of the mixed fan reaction to this news but what did Ford have to say about the same?

Harrison Ford’s take on Alden Ehrenreich playing Han Solo Alden Ehrenreich in Solo: A Star Wars Story...

While Skeleton Crew's episode 6, "Zero Friends Again," was a calm before the storm, it gave us a very different look at the dynamics within the crew. Fern's leadership was challenged. Neel's patience ran out. Wim leaned into the wandering hero aspect of the "knight-errant." Most noticeably, we saw not only Kb's urgent medical needs on display but the way in which they affect her daily life. This representation of disability is handled with age-appropriate nuance and is one of the best aspects of this episode.

What is disability like on At Attin in Skeleton Crew?

As with any major character aspect of a TV show, there is already commentary on Kb's experience. One of note is ScreenRant, where Molly Brizzell compares Kb's experience to that of other "augments" and hails the episode for doing "justice to one of The Empire Strikes Back's most intriguing characters." She points...

Darth Vader famously told Boba Fett "no disintegrations" in The Empire Strikes Back, but Star Wars only revealed years later just how terrifying his signature attack really was. Boba Fett is a legend in many ways: he's one of the best bounty hunters in Star Wars, he introduced the world to Mandalorian armor, and he was one of the most intriguing and mysterious figures in the entire original trilogy of Star Wars movies. One of the most legendary things about Fett, however, didn't come from him: it was Darth Vader's insistence that he not disintegrate Han Solo or the crew of the Millennium Falcon.

There's been intense investigation and speculation into what exactly caused Darth Vader to single out Boba Fett with his line about disintegrations. Star Wars has revealed how painful disintegration was, and comics have explored instances where Vader hired Fett only to be given more dust than bounty.

Seth MacFarlane, star and creator of "Family Guy," thinks the show has reached such inertia that there's no real reason to cancel it. Until people get sick of "Family Guy," MacFarlane has said, it'll be on the air — and they haven't tired of the Griffin family in the 25 years since the show debuted. Speaking to the LA Times in 2024, MacFarlane explained:

"At this point, I don't see a good reason to stop. People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes. It's a lot of extraneous cash that you can donate to Rainforest Trust and you can still go out to dinner that night. There was a time when I thought, it's time to wrap it up. At this point, we've reached escape velocity."

Like one of MacFarlane's key inspirations, "The Simpsons," the animated sitcom "Family Guy" has been around so long (and has kept...

Warning! This article contains Spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 6.44 years after the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the Star Wars franchise has paid tribute to one of the movie's most underrated characters in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, helping us to understand more about this fan-favorite Star Wars "background" character. Among Skeleton Crew's young cast is Kb (Kyriana Kratter), one of the quieter yet dependable members of the four-person friend group. So far, she's been seen leading herself with her instincts, while also proving to have a knack for technology and data - seemingly linked to her cybernetic implant.

This implant has long since reminded audiences of Lobot, who first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. The trusty comrade of Lando Calrissian who took up residence on Cloud City remains one of the franchise's most beloved background characters, and his cybernetic implant was the first of its...

Believe it or not, there used to be a time where movie sequels were actually an incredibly rare thing. As it was, audiences felt that movies and even tv shows should have definitive stories and points that they were trying to make and why would anybody bother making a sequel to what should have been a conclusive story? But now, in an era where Hollywood values established IP and fanbases more than any potential original project, sequels have become the norm. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing that sequels have taken over cinemas, provided that the sequels are just as good as the originals and come out with their own original plot-lines. Like all movies, whether or not a person might enjoy a surplus of sequels is preferential and is more so dependent on the subject material, especially if it’s regarding a franchise that the audience has taken a liking too.

Boba Fett's spin-off TV show, The Book of Boba Fett, was an infamous disappointment for many Star Wars viewers, but this failure actually began with The Mandalorian's massive success. Boba Fett became a fan-favorite character even before he made his big screen debut in The Empire Strikes Back, with his official debut in The Star Wars Holiday Special and the release of his first official action figure in 1979. He was unlike any other character seen in Star Wars at that point, and his Mandalorian armor prompted the creation of an entire planet and a group of renowned warriors.

Thus, it was Boba Fett who paved the way for all Mandalorians, Din Djarin included. The titular character of The Mandalorian has since become the most famous Mandalorian in the Star Wars franchise, as that term alone causes most people, even those outside the Star Wars fandom, to think of Din...

Did iconic directors refuse to helm Star wars prequel? (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)

Well, guess what? They all said no. Why? Because sometimes even legends don’t want to mess with the mythos. Ron Howard spilled the galactic tea in a 2015 Happy Sad Confused podcast interview. Lucas had approached Spielberg, Zemeckis, and Howard (Apollo 13 genius) with an offer no filmmaker could refuse—or so you’d think.

But all three turned him down. Howard revealed, “They all said the same thing: ‘George, you should do it.’ I don’t think anybody wanted to follow up that act at the time. It was an honor, but it would’ve been too daunting.”

This wasn’t Lucas’s first rodeo with delegation. After a grueling experience directing A New Hope, he let Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand handle The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. His plan for the prequels?...

Over the decades, The Simpsons has developed a reputation for its movie parodies and homages, but it has angered some fans by spoiling big twist endings. The Simpsons often references movies, putting a satirical spin on iconic scenes and characters in all genres. Everything from Citizen Kane to Star Wars has been skewered by the show's writers, although not many of the show's movie references directly give away the ending.

For whatever reason, The Simpsons seems to have no problem giving away big movie twists. In some cases, the show chooses a famous twist as a punch line, and it's not going to upset many fans to mention that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, for example. There are other big spoilers that could be more of an issue, like how the show gave away the big twist in The Crying Game less than a year after the movie was released.

It was inevitable that the Star Wars galaxy would change after the fall of the Empire, but one major shift is genuinely surprising: it seems like the Bounty Hunters’ Guild is on the verge of collapse. Though Star Wars’ New Republic-era storytelling has been mostly confined to Disney+, it’s no less grand. The galaxy’s major conflict may no longer be focused on the Rebellion vs. the Empire, but there’s still danger aplenty.

Bounty hunters and pirates have taken over the majority of Star Wars’ New Republic narrative, from Din Djarin and Greef Karga in The Mandalorian, Fennec Shand and Boba Fett in The Book of Boba Fett, and Jod Na Nawood and other pirates like The Mandalorian’s Vane in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. So why is the Bounty Hunters’ Guild seemingly struggling to maintain its ranks, despite the galaxy’s power vacuum? The Imperial Remnant is...

Disney fans everywhere might be putting away their Christmas decorations and putting the stockings back in storage, but that doesn't mean we can't keep warm with a little Disney magic during the winter months. Although Santa Claus is back at the North Pole, we can still keep watching our frosty favorites.

The time between Christmas and New Year's might feel like something of a holiday limbo, but that doesn't mean we still can't have a little fun. Since there's practically a Disney movie for every occasion, here are some of our Disney+ picks for beating back those after-holidays blues.

Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)

While we might be cheating a little with this TV movie from Disney and Pixar, it technically happens directly after Christmas. As Bonnie brings Woody and the gang over to her friend Mason’s to play with their new Christmas gifts, Woody, Buzz, Trixie, and Rex...

Kelsey Mann had worked at Pixar in a variety of capacities but never directed a feature when he was called in for a meeting with company president Jim Morris and chief creative officer Pete Docter. “I had no idea what the meeting was about,” Mann told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “I knew it was either going to be the worst meeting in the world or the best.” Luckily for Mann, it turned out to be the best, because it was the meeting where Docter asked him if he would be interested in telling a new story in the world of “Inside Out.”

The movie that resulted, “Inside Out 2,” is not only the biggest box office hit of 2024 but one of those sequels, like “The Empire Strikes Back” or “Terminator 2,” that both delivers the satisfactions of the original and deepens and expands upon its ideas. For Mann, one...

Kathleen Kennedy has largely been considered as the one responsible for the worst that Disney had to offer when it came to Star Wars. Despite having been a long-time collaborator of George Lucas, the producer has had a tough time delivering shows and films that fans actually enjoy.

The Last Jedi || Credit : Lucasfilm

The Last Jedi is one of those films that polarized the Star Wars fanbase, to the point where a lot of hardcore fans abandoned the franchise. However, despite all the issues the fans had with the film, Kennedy seemed to be completely right with what the film had to offer, even standing by it without any reservations.

Kathleen Kennedy feels Rian Johnson did some good work with The Last Jedi The Last Jedi || Credit: Lucasfilm

Kathleen Kennedy, speaking with Rolling Stone, talked about how she believed that Rian Johnson did some great work with The Last Jedi.

Few things are more satisfying for Star Wars fans than a complete movie marathon, but is it better to watch them in chronological or release order? I first heard of this debate as a kid when I decided to watch Star Wars for the first time and was renting the movies at my local library. I assumed I should start with Episode I, but my mom kindly informed me that I should watch the Star Wars original trilogy first.

It turned out that George Lucas started with Episode IV and then returned to make the Star Wars prequel trilogy several years later. While fans have plenty of arguments in favor of both orders, I decided to see which holds up best when applied to all 11 live-action Star Wars movies. So, whether you're showing someone the saga for the first time or having a marathon, here's what I believe is the best Star Wars viewing order.

Kathleen Kennedy is currently in charge of shepherding the Star Wars franchise into its next phase. The Lucasfilm president was deeply involved with the sequel trilogy movies, which were the first mainline installments produced without input from franchise creator George Lucas. The reception dwindled with each installment, with fans agreeing that The Rise of Skywalker is arguably the worst.

Kathleen Kennedy serves as the President of Lucasfilm (Credit: IGN | YouTube).

The final installment in the sequel trilogy was initially supposed to be helmed by director Colin Trevorrow. However, Trevorrow later exited the project with J.J. Abrams returning to conclude the sequels era. In an interview, Kennedy reflected on bringing Abrams back after Trevorrow’s departure. Here is what she had to say about the studio’s decision to switch directors for the final installment.

Kathleen Kennedy revealed why J.J. Abrams returned to helm The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise...

Robert Downey Jr. is one of the biggest actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And since his success and recently earning his first Oscar, his worth has certainly increased manifold. Having made a fortune already through his Marvel career, the actor is expected to earn a high paycheck when he returns as Doctor Doom.

Robert Downey Jr. | Image by nagi usano, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

However, his salary is nothing compared to that of one Star Wars legend, who made a fortune with just a single movie appearance in the first film.

The Star Wars actor who struck gold with Star Wars: A New Hope Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars | Credit: Lucasfilm

George Lucas‘ Star Wars has a long list of A-list actors, but none like the British actor Alec Guinness. A respected name and an Oscar winner, Guinness was already a cinematic legend...

Andor's staggering $645 million budget officially makes it the most expensive Star Wars story ever made, raising a disturbing question: why did The Acolyte really get canceled by Lucasfilm? The live-action Star Wars TV shows have commanded impressive budgets, with a single season of The Mandalorian costing $120 million. Lucasfilm's stated goal was to make TV shows at the same quality level as the movies, which explains the budgets.

Andor's budget, it seems, is higher than anyone guessed. According to tax returns submitted in the U.K. (via Forbes), Disney has spent a staggering $645 million on the show in total, after spending a record $290.9 million on Andor season 2. Incredibly, the total budget is probably higher; this submission covers spending through to November 22, 2023, which doesn't even cover all the shoot. What makes this surprising, though, is that these costs come after the cancelation of The Acolyte, which had a budget of $230.1 million.

While there are now many different Star Wars movies to choose from in terms of favorites, my heart has settled on one of the franchise's lowest-rated, and I have no shame about the fact that I continue to enjoy it thoroughly to this day. As iconic, revered, and downright historical as this franchise is, it has certainly struggled to find its footing in terms of official ratings and fandom reception over the years. With the original Star Wars trilogy being so inventive at the time, it was hard for any other Star Wars movie to truly compare.

This was especially true of the prequel Star Wars trilogy, and I was a part of the generation who grew up with these as my main Star Wars movies. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is one of the first movies I ever saw in the theater, and certainly the...

Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the “Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order. The title “Episode IV: A New Hope” underlined there was both a past and a future beyond the 1977 film, and indeed this saga has moved forward and backward in time throughout its history, telling a number of different kinds of stories in a galaxy far, far away.

To that end, whether you’re new to the franchise or hold it dear as a favorite film series, you may be looking for a way to watch all the “Star Wars” movies in order. From young Anakin Skywalker to Rey Palpatine, we’ve got the full story in order below.

But not just that – we also weave in how to watch the “Star Wars” shows in order,...

In its nearly 5 decades of existence, the Star Wars franchise has only now shown a key function of blasters in a live-action property. Blasters are among the most common weapons in the galaxy, and they come in many varieties. What nearly all blasters have in common, however, is their basic function of firing pulses of irradiated explosive gas – blaster bolts – which explode on contact with solids.

As shown throughout the various Star Wars properties across a multitude of mediums and two main continuities, blasters have different firing modes, with “kill” being the most commonly used, while “stun” is occasionally employed for incapacitating beings. Blasters also vary in effectiveness, with most blasters – especially civilian models – struggling against body armor (like the suits used by clone troopers and stormtroopers) and reinforced droids (such as Super Battle Droids), though powerful military and underworld blasters can easily burn through them.

Blasters Have Always Had...

While the doctors were normally the stars of House, in season 6, episode 4, "The Tyrant," James Earl Jones plays a one-off character that stole the episode and changed the course of the entire show. House had many actors make cameo appearances, and Jones played a character that was completely against type. Jones' character was President Dibala of an unnamed African country, who Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) calls "one of the most repressive dictators in the world."

Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer) and Cameron are happily married and, while still part of the cast of House, they no longer work for House directly, but they are asked to help on Dibala's case. This causes Chase and Cameron a lot of ethical stress, because Dibala is accused of repressing an ethnic rebellion through genocide, and initially, Cameron finds treating him reprehensible but Chase finds it "interesting." Because Jones brings so much to...

The IMDb top-250 is a curious portrait of populist taste. The list is, it's worth remembering, culled only from user ratings on the IMDb website, and, judging by the films on the list, the average IMDb user seems to be a college-age white male with a taste for crime, guns, fantasy, and the ultra-masculine. The top movies on the list all seem to be the types of movies that young men would own posters for, proudly displayed on their dorm room walls. There are many unassailable classics, to be sure, and young teens could easily look to the list as a rudimentary introduction to the world of cinema, but the list seems ... skewed. There's not a lot of variety. It's not curated by a single critic, nor even a panel of critics. It's just a general consensus of the taste of the types of people who like to rate movies on IMDb.

To offer clarity at the start, the nine main "Star Wars" movies are the nine theatrically released live-action features with Roman numerals in the titles that make up what's known as the Skywalker Saga. They were released in chunks of three, which is why they're referred to as three separate, individual trilogies. There's "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope," "Star Wars: Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back, and "Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi," which together form what's commonly known as the original trilogy. After that came "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," which make up the prequel trilogy. Lastly, there's "Star Wars: Episode VII -- The Force Awakens," "Star Wars: Episode VIII -- The Last Jedi," and "Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker,...

It seems Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie may still take flight after all, while Taika Waititi's mysterious project has been grounded.

It was assumed that Jenkins' feature, which we first heard about during a Disney investor's broadcast back in 2020, was well and truly dead in the water at this stage, but we're now hearing that the project will still move forward.

According to Daniel Richtman, Rogue Squadron is in active development at Lucasfilm.

Jenkins reportedly parted ways with the movie to focus on directing the now defunct Wonder Woman 3 amid rumored creative differences with Kathleen Kennedy, and it was officially taken off Lucasfilm's release schedule back in 2022.

"So, when I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, I thought maybe I'll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3," the filmmaker explained to Collider back in March. "So we did a deal for that to happen, started a deal,...

Steven Spielberg has revealed his favorite Star Wars movie is one of its most controversial, and one that was directed by series creator George Lucas. Spielberg has been a consistent collaborator with Lucas on the Indiana Jones franchise, directing the first four installments, while the sci-fi series creator served as co-writer. While their constant work together doesn't extend to the Star Wars movies its creator made over the decades he owned the franchise, their differences are also what gives them fresh perspectives on each other's work.

Speaking with SlashFilm, Spielberg revealed that one of his favorite Star Wars movie is Lucas' 2002 prequel, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Calling it his "second favorite just behind [The Empire Strikes Back]," Spielberg praised the action, positing its director and co-writer had pulled from James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgement Day in gathering inspiration for the movie. This reflects a...

Over the years, the Star Wars prequels have grown more liked and appreciated than they were when they were released.

There's been a prequel-era renaissance of late, with the return of Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor to the franchise, and The Clone Wars' greatest young Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, making her live-action debut.

But not long ago, when Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones was released, the movie was met with heavy criticism for its dependence on CGI, green screens, blue screens, and other fancy filmmaking techniques pioneered by George Lucas. Hayden Christensen, who stepped into young Jake Lloyd's shoes as the teenaged Anakin Skywalker, was harshly criticized for his take on the reckless and emotional young Jedi, who would one day become Darth Vader.

Years later, opinions have shifted, and fans who loved the movie have grown up and have more of a voice. As something of a surprise,...